The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1887-09-10
me on the back till I chOked, and guffawed,

iiic Ou tiic udCN tii OhOhSu, auu Suho"SNi
SsHaw Hawl Thee'rt good 'un. |
loikes thy cheek, little chop" and in trying
to force on me drink of his beer contriv-
ed to pour some half pint into my neck
and waistcoat and then cursed me for his
own clumsiness. The bookstall man treat
ed me with polite Indifference and paid no
more attention to me than to spaniel
Finally, when "a grim old lady got into our
smoking carriage she fixed me with stony
eye and said, "Ohl you nasty little boyl
smoking at you age! Where do you ex-
pect to go to?" and proceeded to take my
pipe away from me; while the other pas
sengers said, "Well, he is too young to be
smoking, for sure" and that lout Of a son
of mine went black in the face with laugh
ter and declined to come to the rescue
Marlborough was reached at last, and we
walked up to the headmaster's house.
With some difficulty and two half crowns
l induced the incredulous butler to usher
us in, and having got rid of his first notion
that it was, as he said, "a OAK" I found
| had cast out the first devil only 10 have
more wicked one take his place; for now
he winked jocosely and bade us 'come this
way, young gentlemen, and actually poked
me in the ribs before going round the
screen and ushering us into the doctors
presence. | was wild with wrath at the
indignity. doctor" said l, fercely and
shrilly, II must protest; insist, sill" He
glared at me haughtily, and then, turning
to my lout, said, as this some farce? If,
sir, as | suppose, you are bringing your
little brother to enter him at the school, let
me say that we have the means" and he
swished his hand through the air, "of cor
recting that unbridled and insubordinate
demeanor which the loss, no doubt, of a
father, and the absence of parental control,
has induced in him. l see," said he, as
the gaby turned crimson and shuffied from
one foot to the other, 'syour brothers pert
ness not unnaturally disoomposes you; be-
lieve me, I attach no blame to you, and
think" he added Significantly, "we can
soon remedy it.
My cup brimmed over. What exactly
l said l will not repeat. Let me not forget
that am clergyman, and that it is my
duty alike to forgive my enemies and to
eschew bad language; but for the nonce my
language was very bad indeed, and very
wrathful; and the matter was made all the
worse by the fact that the doctor was but
young man. ''Sir," | cried, ~ took an
honorable degree at Oxford when you were
still being biFched at school, and was a
priest in holy orders before ever you were
in coat tails. How dare you gibe at my
personal appearance, sir? How dare you
make mock of my in6rmity? You seem
so inhuman, and so indecently fond of the
most degrading part of your duties, that
would gladly leave this grinning oaf with
you, and then he would get the thrashing
he deserves for exulting in his fathers dis
eomfture, But then should have to
speak with you, sir; to speak with you, and
l will not lower myself by having anything
to do with you; evil communications corrupt
good manners, sir, and 1 will not ,stoop to
imperil my own good breeding by commu,
nicating with pedagogue who, instead Of
a scholar and gentleman, appears to be a
coxcomb and bonr;'' and with this tirade
| flung out of the room in rage, and my
sou SUNK out at my neelS.
was speechless with fury till we got
some distance from the house. Then
looking up, saw that my wretched boy
was staggering still, and in my mortifcati0r
furnished win either b,.sne ~ l.tsol
gallonacK him with my 'csrne. fa5fe were
several Of the lads about, and he, poor fell
low, was high and mighty in his new tail
coat, and he felt the indignity. He lost
his temper, as l had lost mine, and, turning
on me, he boxed my ears. This was too
much. To what depth of contempt must
have fallen. dropped on bench and
burst into tears-the bitterest tears, think,
that ever man shed.
gave him money and sent him home
alone, and then wandered away in inde-
scribable wretchedness. I was blind to all
that passed; l neither saw nor cared where
| went, | could not even pursue one train
of thought, however miserable. Not that
any oblivion came mercifully to relieve me
from my sufferings. passed through
moment after moment of exquisite pain,
but each seemed isolated, and to be endured
by itself separately, and without any con-
tinuity with either the moments that went
before or those which followed after. How
the time went l do not know, but after
what thought was great while found
myself sitting by dull, dark stream, star
ing gloomily into it. l do not know what
was passing through my mind; perhaps no
settled thought had formed itself; but
was in very abyss of despair. Suddenly
L felt little hand thrust into mine, and
child kissed me. l looked up and saw a
village girl of I or 8 years old, very plain
but for pair of wistful eyes, who gazed
pitifully at me and said, "Poo' boyl'' From
her lips | did not vince at the reproach of
youth. Slowly | came out Of the dark
mood in which | was ready for know not
what rash act; and in talking to the little
girl, and feeling her hand cop6dingly in
mine, gradually found composure and res
ignation. She was very shy, and even
stupid, and, when l got her to speak, her
voice was coarse, and she talked in vii
lainously provincial accent; but still, by her
mute kindliness and fellow feeling, she had
saved me from what I dared not contem-
plate, and owed her debt OF gratitude
which | could not pay,
Alas these milder moments were not
for long. At last l reached home, and
found the boy, who had proceeded me, had
told his story from his own point Of view,
and my wife, perhaps rightly, took his
part. 81 suppose" she said with stately
censure, II suppose it is useless to hope
that you are ashamed of yourself, but 1
am ashamed of you. No wonder you look
such baby when you give way to such
childish tempers. At your age to mind
what you look like You don't act like a
man and you don't deserve to he treated
like one. And to strike the poor boy be-
fore the whole school Oh, it was too
badr
| dare say it was; but it was not discreet
to tell me so, and she does not know what
| feel. Her chiding has brought back all
my old bitterness and gloom, and | think
if were now on that river back again, not
even the little girl would save me. But
men are weak, and for the present, for want